The One Where Life Gets Scary
by HopefulAlways
Summary: This is set about eight months after Chandler, Monica, Jack, and Erica have moved into their Westchester home. This is my first fanfic, so any reviews would be appreciated on this end. Mostly Mondler, with some R&R.
1. Opening Scene

Hey everyone, I'm an aspiring writer and this is my first fan-fic. Reviews are appreciated! Chandler and Monica were always my favorite of the Friends couples, so I decided we needed a good Mondler story!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Monica, Chandler, Jack, Erica, or any other characters used in the Friends series. **

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I sit on the couch and stare at my two beautiful children, wondering how on Earth so much life and laughter can fit into these tiny packages. Jack and Erica are crawling around on a play mat, giggling when they bump into each other. Whenever they rattle the plastic toys hanging from a bar above the mat, an even louder laugh escapes their tiny mouths.

My babies are just over eight months old, and never cease to astound me every day. Although they look nothing like Chandler and me, they have Chandler's wit and love of humor already. Jack has copper colored hair, growing in tufts on his head, and is pretty chubby. Erica looks like an angel- blond hair, blue eyes, and two little teeth.

"Hey, Mon, do you think Jack needs to be changed?" Chandler says, sniffing the air.

"No, that's just dinner." I scowl at my husband, who does not appreciate my cooking skills. Since the babies were born, I've taken an ultra-extended maternity leave, and don't go back until next March, if I go back at all. With the babies underfoot, I can't cook very well, so most of the time, we end up having frozen dinners.

"Sorry, babe." Chandler scoots down to my end of the couch and kisses my cheek. I take his hand in mine, and we sit side by side in front of our children.

Erica wiggles around on the mat quickly, bumping into her brother nonstop. Jack, however, has been lying down for the past few minutes. I pick him up and set him on my lap. Erica immediately begins crying, so Chandler picks her up.

"Chandler, Jack feels like he's lost some weight."

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Okay, Chandler. Come on, Jack, let's go make dinner."

I pick up Jack and walk to the kitchen. I begin to stir the pasta sauce right as Jack begins getting fidgety. I set him on the ground and let him crawl (or lie).

I am about to set everything on the dining room table when I hear desperate crying in the other room. I rush to see what's happened. Chandler and Erica are right behind me.

Jack is sitting on the floor with a bloody knee.

"Oh, my God, Jack!" I rush to my son, picking him up and holding him. "How did you get so hurt? Let's go clean you up."

Fifteen minutes later, Jack is still bleeding. No matter how much pressure I put on his knee, it keeps bleeding. Finally, the blood stops, and a very unenergetic Jack falls asleep. After putting the kids to bed, Chandler and I sit down at the table.

"I don't understand. How could he have cut himself?"

"Well…" Chandler coughs.

"Well, what?" I say impatiently.

"I left some office stuff on the floor after I finished doing paperwork last night. Maybe he found a paperclip, or got a paper-cut."

"Fine," I glare at my husband.

"Why did it take so long to get Jack to bed?"

"He was bleeding for a long time." Chandler stares incredulously at me. "I'm worried, Chandler. He's been sleepy and unenergetic all week."

"Maybe he has a cold."

"I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow morning, okay, sweetie?"

"Fine, but I'm telling you, Mon, it's nothing."

"I hope so, Chandler." I walk around the table and grab my husband's hand. We walk up to our room, turn out the lights, and fall asleep in each others' arms.


	2. Early Morning

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Friends characters. I do, however, own Alicia and Doctor Thompson. **

"Hello, Doctor Thompson's office, my name is Alicia. How may I help you?"

The receptionist's high voice startles me. _It's only 7 a.m.,_ I think. _How on Earth can she be so perky so early? Maybe it's required of the job… I mean, she is a pediatric doctor's receptionist. _I clear my throat, and say, "Hi, this is Monica Bing. I'm calling in to schedule an appointment for my son, Jack."

"Let me go grab his chart."

In a few minutes, Alicia comes back. "Well, he's almost due for a regular check-up. Is there anything else going on?"

"He keeps falling asleep when it isn't naptime or bedtime, and he's so weak. Last night, he got a paper-cut, and it wouldn't stop bleeding for twenty minutes. Shouldn't it have stopped bleeding?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll notify Doctor Thompson. Are you free at… three o'clock today?"

"Yep. Can I also bring my daughter in? Her name is Erica, and I've always gotten their appointments on the same day. They're twins."

"Of course, Mrs. Bing. See you in a bit!"

I hang up the phone. Chandler is about to leave for work. He kisses me on the lips and says, "See ya, Mon. Is everything okay with the doctor's office?"

"They said Jack may need a special exam, but I'm sure it's fine." My voice quavers, though, and Chandler can hear the fear.

"I'm sure it will. I'll leave work early, and come with you to the doctor's office, okay?"

I nod my head, and kiss him one more time. "Have a good day, Chandler. I love you!" I shout, as he walks out the door.

I walk upstairs, to get the babies bathed and dressed. They are sleeping peacefully in their two cribs. Erica is lying on her stomach, her fists in balls. Jack is asleep by the edge of the crib. They both look so adorable.

I wake up Erica first. She yawns and stretches, and looks at me with her adorable blue eyes. After bathing her, dressing her, and putting her in her play pen, I go back to the babies' room to get Jack.

"Come on, Jack, wake up, buddy," I coo, tickling under his chin. Jack takes longer to wake up, and starts to cry. I pick him up, cradling him in my arms. There is a very obvious bruise on his knee, which is the only part of his body that ever moves while he's asleep. I assume it will have disappeared by the time we go to the doctor's office.

After we are all dressed, bathed, and, in my case, made up, we eat lunch and head to the doctor's office. Chandler is waiting for me.

"Jack and Erica Bing?" the receptionist calls.

"Okay, here we go," I say, squeezing Chandler's hand. We walk into the doctor's office.


	3. Doctor's Office

**A/N- Thanks for the (2) reviews! I really appreciate them. If you guys didn't guess, this is based on personal experiences of mine (my father is a doctor, and my best friend's younger brother has... well, you'll know later).**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Friends, wish I did, Chandler's hot. I do, however, own Alicia and Doc Thompson.

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"Mr. and Mrs. Bing-" the doctor says. He is young, handsome, and obviously new at his profession, as he has no decorations in the exam room.**

"Please, call me Chandler," Chandler says, holding out his hand for a handshake. The doctor shakes his hand, and then looks at me.

"Monica," I say, also shaking the doctor's hand.

"Well, Chandler, Monica, Erica looks very healthy. She's got quite an attitude, huh?" The doctor grins at me, laughing at Erica's spunk.

"She got that from her mother," Chandler says, rubbing the small of my back. I lean against him as the doctor picks up Jack and puts him on the examination table.

Thirty minutes later, the doctor is frowning. "Chandler, Monica, we need to talk. Where did this cut come from?"

We explain the sorry story to the doctor, who, the entire time, has a scrunched up look on his face.

"And the bruise?"

"He bangs his knee against the crib bars while he sleeps," Chandler says in a monotone. Dr. Thompson makes a coughing noise, which sounds a bit like a _Yeah, right_.

"Dr. Thompson, sir, I know it sounds like we're abusive or something, but I swear to God, we are just scared right now. What is going on with our baby?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Bing, your son needs to be taken into the children's hospital, as he could possibly have pneumococcal meningitis."

"Wha- what does that mean?" Chandler stutters.

The doctor takes a deep breath. "Pneumococcal meningitis is a very serious disease. It can lead to severe brain damage, or even," the doctor stares at the ground, "_death_."

I gasp and tears quickly begin running down my eyes. I stare at my son, who is laughing at his sister, playing on the floor. _How can this happen to us? We're the perfect family, for God's sake! We're finally together!_

In the background, I can hear a choked up Chandler talking with Dr. Thompson. Chandler squeezes my hand and whispers for me to listen to the doctor. I look up, knowing full well that my makeup is probably smeared down my face.

"Mrs. Bing, your son probably doesn't have pneumococcal meningitis, but it's a possibility. As the outcome is even more fatal if you don't get treatment quickly, we're going to need Jack to have tests done as soon as possible. I'm going to call the pediatric hospital right now, and Jack needs to be there quickly. You all should go home and pack some things for the day."

"Thank you, Dr. Thompson," Chandler says. He picks up Jack and holds him like he's something breakable, like a vase. I pick up my daughter and kiss her forehead. All of us walk out of the examination room.

On the way out, I drop my purse. I let Erica, who is already learning to walk, toddle to catch up with her father. I begin to organize my things, but stop when I hear a muffled sound.

Dr. Thompson is sitting in the examination room, head in hands. I clear my throat, and he looks up. Tears are rolling down his face.

"They didn't put this in the job description," he says, clearly upset.

I assure him that I know everything will be fine, even though I can't believe it myself. After that, I walk out to the car.


	4. Can't Eat, Can't Sleep

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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"Monica, everything will be okay," Chandler says, packing the babies' toys into a duffel bag.

"I know, Chandler, but what if-"

"Monica, everything will be okay." Chandler says this in a tone of finality, as he zips up the duffel bag. There is silence for a few minutes.

"But what if-"

Chandler strides across the room to me.

"Monica Elizabeth Geller Bing, listen to me. _Everything will be okay._" He puts his hands on my shoulders protectively and kisses me. He holds me close to his body, so close I can feel his heart beating. I believe him, for a moment. Then-

"But what if he-"

"Monica, every-"

"You don't know that everything will be okay, Chandler! Who died and made you God? What if he does have pneumococcal meningitis? It's fatal, Chandler! Always! What are we going to do if my baby boy has this disease? What if he dies? Are we going to just shrug it off and say, 'It was supposed to happen this way?' 'It will be okay in the end?' I can't do that, Chandler! I couldn't have children with you, and we spent so _long_ trying just to get a baby. I can't let him go, Chandler, not when he needs to have decades more in front of him! I won't let him go, Chandler! We don't know if everything will be fine!" I am sobbing. Chandler stares at me.

"Honey, I had no idea you were so worried. You had such a calm, focused look a few minutes ago, except when you were asking what was wrong." I chuckle a little, but quickly it subsides. _Now is not the time for laughing_.

"You're right, Mon, I don't know if everything will be alright. I don't know if I'm going to wake up in the morning, either, but I've always been right about that, right? We don't know what will happen, but we can pray that it will be alright. We won't let him go without a fight."

Chandler pulls me even closer to him, folding his hands around me. After standing together for a few minutes, we break, and I push Erica and Jack out to the car in their double stroller. Jack is sleeping, for the third time today, and Erica is looking very bored. I tickle her under her chin, hoping that she will laugh, and make me smile, because nothing else will. She bats my hand away, and closes her eyes. I sigh.

Chandler climbs into the driver's seat, grabs my hand, and looks me in the eyes. With one last squeeze and sigh, he starts up the Porsche's engine and drives. We silently glide along the highway until we reach the hospital.

After signing in and getting Jack comfortable in his hospital crib, Chandler and Erica go searching for a snack machine. I cannot leave my son's side. When they come back, Erica has a can of soda and a bag of animal crackers, while Chandler has nothing.

"I can't eat, I can't sleep, until I know," he says, knowing I was questioning him returning empty handed.

"I know, sweetie."

There is a knock on the door of the room. An old, pale, white-haired man is staring at us through the window of the door. He comes in and looks at Jack.


	5. The Good and The Bad

**A/N- This chapter is kind of a Scrubs/Friends slash. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own Friends or Scrubs characters. **

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The doctor clears his throat and walks over to Chandler. His nametag reads _Dr. Kelso. _He shakes Chandler's hand, jerking it up and down. After he breaks off the handshake, Chandler starts rubbing his hand, trying to get the feeling back into it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Bing… Bing? What an unusual, weird name," the doctor says. My eyes widen as I try not to scoff at how rude this man is. Chandler gives a little laugh, although I can see in his eyes he finds nothing funny about this.

"Anyhoo, Mr. and Mrs. Bing, let's face it- I don't usually cover pediatrics, but someone unimportant was sick, and I need to get some more money so my wife, Inid, doesn't make MasterCard rich. So we're gonna do some tests and see what Jack has got going on right now, okay? Okay," he says, not waiting for an answer. He leaves the room and a Latino woman comes in, pushing what looks like a stroller.

"Hey, baby," she coos, then looks at Chandler and I. "Mr. and Mrs. Bing, my name is Carla, and I'm going to take your son to do some tests. If you want to come, you can, but I don't think you should."

"Why not?" I snap.

"Well, Mrs. Bing," Carla says with a biting tone in her voice. "Many people can't handle seeing their children go through with tests, and you won't understand what anyone is saying, so you will become more worried."

"Oh," I say. I help Carla move Jack comfortably into his stroller. I walk out of the hospital room and shut the door behind me.

"Carla, I'm sorry that I sounded so rude in there."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Bing. I know how you feel. I had to bring in my baby girl a few weeks ago when she had pneumonia. We'll be back in about twenty minutes," she says, waving and pushing my baby down the hall.

"Bye, Jacky."

I reenter the room and sit down beside Chandler. He puts his arm around me. I lean my head against his shoulder and watch Erica. She has, with Chandler's help, climbed onto Jack's hospital bed and has been crawling around, making spit bubbles. She stuffs all of her animal crackers in her mouth, but starts crying as she cannot swallow them.

"Chandler, could you take Erica to the cafeteria and get some real food for her?"

"Sure, honey." Chandler lifts Erica off of the bed and carries her to the door. "Ciao," he says.

After Chandler and Erica leave, I walk over to the phone on the counter where the sink is placed. I press the 'Outgoing' button and dial the number I have punched in so many times. The phone rings four times, and then I get the answering machine.

"Hi! You have reached 555-1459, a.k.a. Ross, Rachel, and Emma Geller. Please leave a message after the beep! Bye!" Rachel's perky voice springs from the receiver. Tears begin forming in my eyes and I can feel my throat getting clogged. I haven't seen my best friend in three months.

"Hey, Rachel," I croaked. "It's Monica. Chandler and I are at the children's hospital in Westchester… We're here with Jack and Erica… I'm really scared, Rach-"

"Monica?"

"Ross?"

"Yeah, hold on, let me get Rachel for you." I can hear him yell, "Rachel, phone!"

"Hello?" Rachel says.

"Oh, God, Rachel. I need you,"

"Why, Mon? What's going on?"

"I'm at the children's hospital. They think Jack has pneumococcal meningitis."

I hear a gasp, and realize Ross hasn't hung up. Rachel hasn't noticed, and asks, "What does that mean?"

"Well, I think Ross can explain. Ross?"

Ross clears his throat and says quietly, "Pneumococcal meningitis is a disease that is almost always fatal."

Rachel gasps.

The white haired doctor walks in without even knocking.

"We know what's wrong with your kid," he says, looking at a chart.

"Hold on a sec, Rach," I say, putting my palm over the receiver. "Dr. Kelso, could we possibly wait until my husband gets back?"

"Now, Mrs. Bing, do you really think I have time to sit and wait for any missing husbands to return?" the doctor says quickly. I stare at him.

"I have good news and bad news. The good news is your son doesn't have pneumococcal meningitis."

I smile and a deep breath escapes me. I am about to stand up and shake the doctor's hand, but then he opens his mouth again.

"The bad news is, he has leukemia."


	6. One, Two, Three

**A/N- Short update, I know, but I think it's effective writing-style-wise. Read and review, PLEASE, I'm begging you!**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing, Friends or Scrubs character wise.**

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"Monica?"

_This can't be happening._

"Monica?"

_Oh my God, my son has cancer._

"Monica Elizabeth Geller Bing, what the hell just happened?!" Rachel yells at me from the phone.

"See ya later, alligator," Dr. Kelso says. He wheels around and bumps into Chandler, holding Erica, who is licking an ice cream cone. Dr. Kelso walks around them and disappears down the hallway.

Tears are steadily streaming down my cheeks, and I am sobbing. Chandler sees this, and immediately asks, "What's going on, Mon?"

I can't answer him, because I am sobbing too much. Carla comes into the room, carrying my baby.

"He is so adorable! Call me sometime, we have to set him and my daughter up!" she grins, but then she sees our upset faces.

"What's going on?" Chandler asks Carla, a confused expression on his face.

"I don't know, I haven't read his chart. Kelso said he was coming to tell you guys what's going on, do you know?"

"He only told Monica."

"That bastard," Carla says angrily.

"Monica! What. Is. Going. On. Answer me!" Rachel yells.

"Monica, sweetie, tell me what's going on," Chandler says, coming over to me and grabbing my hand.

"Mrs. Bing, what just happened?"

"Jack…" I can only whisper. "Jack has leukemia."

"What?" they all say in unison.


	7. Those I Love

**A/N- Sorry for the short chapter! Read and Review!**

**Disclaimer- I admit it. I own Friends.**

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"Monica? Sweetie, do you want anything?" Rachel pats my hand. We are sitting on the couch at home. The room is full. Rachel got the most important people in the world here. There's Ross, Rachel, Emma, and their newborn, Matthew. Phoebe and Mike are here, Phoebe's pregnant belly hanging out of a regular shirt, as she refuses to wear maternity clothes. Joey and his wife, Alex, are sitting together on the floor. Mom and Dad are here as well, although Mom is mostly cooking. Dad is out on the porch, smoking- something he only does when he's stressed out. 

I shake my head no. I'm too shocked to do anything- sleep, eat, talk.

Chandler sits down on the couch beside me as Rachel gets up to get food. He puts his arm around me and whispers in my ear, "We're going to beat this."

"I know," I whisper back. We kiss, and Rachel grins. Jack is sitting on Ross' lap, running his fingers over Ross' face, as babies like to do. Erica is asleep in Joey's arms. I lean against Chandler's shoulder, closing my eyes. _I am so tired._

Suddenly, Chandler wakes me up.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back."

Two hours later, everyone is still there, and everyone but me is asleep. I kiss Chandler on the cheek as he settles into the couch.

Erica stirs, and immediately begins crying. This wakes everyone up. I grab Erica and hold her against my shoulder. Chandler stands up and clears his throat.

"Now that you're all awake," he booms, "I did some research on leukemia. There's a 90.5 survival rate for children under the ages of 5, for the type of leukemia Jack has. He has acute lymphocytic leukemia. Jack will have to go through chemotherapy. We will beat this."

Jack, who had been asleep on Joey's lap, crawls across the room to Chandler. With no help whatsoever, he stands up and wraps himself around Chandler's legs. "Da-da," he says softly.

Tears come to my eyes, not for the first time in the past few days. I walk over to Erica, pick her up, and walk to sit next to Rachel. "Thanks, you guys, for coming here," I say.

"We're staying," Joey says. "We have a hotel room close to here."

"Oh, that reminds me. Monica, Phoebe and I have a surprise for you. Can we talk to you in private?"

"Okay…" I have no idea what they want to say to me.

"Mon, you know how those two houses, the one across the street and the one beside your house are for sale?" Phoebe says in one big breath.

"Yeah," I say, unable to see where this is going.

"Well-" Rachel says.

"WE'RE BUYING THEM!" Phoebe yells.

"Phoebe! We said that I'd tell her!"

"Oh my God, never mind that!" I squeal. "You guys are going to be my neighbors!" I jump up and wrap my arms around my best friends.


	8. The Best Birthday Present

I pick up Jack, holding him against my shoulder. In the past four months, everything has changed. Jack has been through round after round of chemotherapy, losing all of his beautiful tufts of hair and getting dark circles under his eyes. My son is getting weaker with every round, and it kills me to take him to the treatment center every week. The chemotherapy is noticeably helping, though. His white blood cell count has gone up incredibly. We've made friends at the clinic as well- Liam, a Hispanic boy also with acute lympocytic leukemia, his mom Maria, Tracy, a little girl with chronic leukemia, and her mom Linda. Along with these two kids, Jack and Erica are always around each other and Rachel and Phoebe's kids. They're all becoming best friends. Nothing makes me happier than having all seven kids playing together while Rachel, Phoebe, Maria, Linda, and myself talk about every subject. Girlfriends are the best treatment for a mother's leukemia blues.

I rub Jack's back as he slowly falls asleep on my shoulder. I'm incredibly tired. Running Jack to the clinic and picking up after both kids is no easy feat. Just getting dinner on the table is hard for me to do now. Chandler, thankfully, understands, and is improving his own cooking skills. I don't know what I'd do without him. Along with that, my thirty-third birthday is tomorrow. I can't believe where the years have gone, but overall, I know I've not wasted one second of time. All the struggles of the past few years- helping Rachel with Emma, struggling to have children with Chandler, going through the adoption process, finding out about Jack's leukemia- all of it has made me who I am today, and I wouldn't change anything.

I fall asleep on the couch, Jack on my shoulder, television on mute. I don't realize how late it's getting until Chandler comes downstairs and wakes me up.

"Honey, aren't you coming to bed?" He kisses my forehead and glances at the clock. "Happy birthday, sweetie." The clock shows it's just past twelve a.m. I smile with my eyes still close and say, "I'll be up in a few minutes. Just let me put Jack to bed."

I walk upstairs slowly, with Jack cradled in my arms. I place him carefully in his crib, making sure not to wake him or his sister. I walk to our room, climb into bed, and fall asleep with Chandler's arms around me. Every few minutes, he kisses my forehead. He doesn't say it, but I know he loves me.

I sleep, drifting in and out of various dreams. When I finally wake, Chandler is not in bed. I glance at the digital clock. It says it's almost ten o'clock.

I quickly jump out of bed and shower, applying a small amount of makeup and putting on good clothes. As I run downstairs, the smell of bacon is filling the house. Chandler is in the kitchen, making brunch for his children.

"Hi honey, did you sleep well?" he asks me, kissing my cheek.

"I slept really well. You didn't have to turn off the alarm," I say, half-scolding him, but secretly savoring how not-tired I feel.

"But it's your birthday!" Chandler says with a grin. He cuts the bacon into small bits and places a small amount of the bacon-bites on the twins' high chair trays. The twins gobble them up, and Chandler turns and puts his arms around my waist.

"Happy birthday," he says, kissing me on the lips. I wrap my arms around his neck and gaze into my wonderful husband's eyes.

"What're we doing for my birthday?" I ask jokingly.

"Well, I thought we could go to that nice new French restaurant in the city… You could wear your new dress, and I'll wear my suit... It'll be very romantic," he promises me. I smile and kiss him again.

"That sounds wonderful."

"I made reservations for five o'clock. I know it's early, but it's the only time they could fit us in."

"It sounds great." With that, I turn to the twins and try to amuse them. I try to ignore the excitement in my stomach.

At four, I go upstairs and change into my new dress. I style my hair and apply more makeup, grimly acknowledging the hardly noticeable wrinkles on my face. Rachel arrives from next door, Emma and Matthew both in a stroller, ready to baby-sit so Chandler and I can go on our first date since Erica and Jack were born.

"Happy birthday sweetie!" Rachel says, kissing me on the cheek. I hug her and tell her thank you, before taking Chandler's arm and heading to the car.

We arrive at the restaurant, and have a wonderful time. I realize how much I missed being alone with Chandler. I love my children, but I forgot how much I love Chandler too.

Chandler comes around to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for me. I take his hand and we walk to the front door. Before we go in, Chandler kisses me. I melt in his arms and we slowly walk into the front door.

"Surprise!" I hear people shout. I turn on the lights, and everyone I know and love is in this room. Rachel and Ross are sitting on the couch, along with Mike. Phoebe is sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch and Mike's legs. Joey is sitting in the easy chair, a very pregnant Alex in his lap. Linda and Maria are sitting on folding chairs, talking. Erica and Jack are sitting in the very middle of the room, with Emma, Matthew, Liam, Tracy, and Lily, Phoebe's daughter, around them. The living room is decorated with Happy Birthday signs and a cake is sitting on the dining room table, with every flavor of ice cream imaginable around it. A pile of presents is in the corner of the room.

"Oh, my gosh, hi everyone!" I gasp, tears welling up in my eyes. Chandler laughs and comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Happy birthday sweetie. I figured the best present would be those you love, so…" I lean against him for a second, and then sit on the floor next to Phoebe. She tells me she took care of the ice cream.

"Why am I not surprised?" I laugh. I lean against the couch and take Ross' hands. He leans forward and says "Happy birthday, sis," and kisses my forehead.

_This is the best birthday present ever_, I think.

Later, after the festivities have died down, after I've opened my presents (receiving coupons for a massage from Phoebe and a variety of bath products for relaxation), after Liam, Tracy, and their moms have gone home, after all of the kids have been put to bed on the floor in Erica and Jacks' room, I sit on the couch with my closest friends. Chandler has his arm around my shoulder, and Rachel, Phoebe, Alex and I are talking about which baby products are the best. Chandler, Joey, Ross, and Mike are animatedly talking about the Knicks. They are arranging for all of them to meet up next week and see the new game. I love being with all of my closest friends- around them, I feel at home.

The phone rings, and I'm very puzzled. It's almost eleven o'clock, and no one calls this late. I figure it must be important. I sneak away from my friends and pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mrs. Bing, sorry to be calling so late. I have some important news, though, so I figured it would be okay to call." The sweet receptionist from the clinic's voice rings through the receiver.

"It's okay. Is everything fine with Jack's tests?" A tone of worry is creeping into my voice, and everything wonderful about the day is gone from my mind. My only concern is Jack's well-being.

"Everything's great, Mrs. Bing. In fact, everything's really great. I think you'll be pleased to know that Jack-" she takes a deep breath, and I can hear the smile on her face- "Jack is in remission."

I gasp and whoop with laughter. I excitedly thank the receptionist, and hang up, rushing to the living room.

"Who was that, Mon?" Chandler asks, a look of concern on his face.

"It was the receptionist from the chemo clinic," I say, trying my hardest not to shout with joy. Everyone looks at me, scared.

"Jack is in remission!" I shout, unable to help myself. Chandler's face becomes a huge grin, and he runs across the room to sweep me up in a huge hug.

"That's great!" Rachel says, tears in her eyes. Rachel, Phoebe, and Alex crowd around me, all hugging Chandler and I. Joey, Ross, and Mike form another ring of a hug. In the arms of all of my friends, my baby boy finally safe, I close my eyes.

_This is the best birthday present ever._


End file.
